Manor Lords has moved a large set of farming features from its beta branch to the stable branch in update 0.8.117. Slavic Magic's medieval city builder now lets players assign families to the Dung Collector role, gather dung from pasture animals, and deposit it in a new building called the Dunghill. Animals produce dung at different rates, and both the raw dung and the Fertilizer made from it must be stored at the Dunghill, which the developer suggests placing carefully and as downwind as possible. Farmhouse workers can then use Fertilizer to raise the maximum fertility of fallow fields and boost their production for just over two years. The update leans into the inevitable "Manure Lords" jokes.
Crops have been split into winter and spring variants. Wheat and Rye prefer winter, but can be sown in spring for a quicker, smaller return, while Flax, Barley, and Oats can only be sown in spring. An overhauled field calendar shows the next 12 months of upcoming field-related activities. Fields where crops have been selected but nothing has been planted are now treated as fallow by the simulation and gradually regenerate fertility. Players can plow these fields in spring, summer, and autumn, though plowing is the lowest priority of all tasks. If crops are left unharvested by October, they no longer force a rotation; instead they begin slowly dying, leaving a short window to salvage as much of the diminishing yield as possible.
The Fishmonger joins the artisan ranks, taking Fish and Salt to produce Smoked Fish. Six new Rural Foundations perks unlock once a settlement reaches level three: Experienced Forestry, Woodland Beekeeping, Fish Husbandry, Livestock Provisioning, Practical Tillage, and Pastoral Practice. Born of the Alps has also been adjusted: it no longer protects sheep from high elevation, but instead increases their wool production under such conditions.
Other changes include a slight reduction to crop growth speed and to the rate at which fallow fields regenerate, making fallow cycles more important for sustainability than simply swapping crop types. Cows and sheep are easier to breed, the Deep Mine is less efficient, and warbows and crossbows are stronger. The collection and threshing of Sheaves now prioritize the least-available grain types first. Update 0.8.117 is available now on the live branch. Slavic Magic says it is still working on more perks, but decided farming improvements were a greater priority based on the current Steam Reviews.
Sources: PCGamesN.